Steering mechanism for vehicles.



3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. MCGEORGE.

STEERING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

AF'PLCATION FILED MAR. I4. 1913- RENEWED MAY 13,1918.

Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

Zay. i.

l. MCGEORGE.

SEEHING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I4. I9I3. RENEWED MAY 13.19I8.

1,285,289. Patented Nov. 19, 1918..

3 SHEETS-SHEET 9 1. MCGEORGE.

STEERING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

Af'PLlcATloN FILED MAR. 14, |913. RENEWED mio/13.1918.

l ,29, Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

X @of @M- VII JGHN ECGEORGE, 0F CLEVELAND, 10H10, ASSIGNOR TO THE CLEVELAND ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATXGN CHO.

STEEBNG MECHANISM FOB VEHECLES.

Application lecl .arch le, 1913, Serial No. 754,234.

To ZZ whom t may concern:

lle it known that I, JoHN MoGEoeGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio9 have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Steering Mecha4 nisni for TVehicles7 of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being` had to the accompanying drawings.

rThis invention relates to vehicles and particularly to sel-propelled vehicles7 and has for its special objects the provision of iinproved mechanism for steering the same. lt a Well-known fact thata tor the proper steeringP of any vehicle the axes of the various wheels mustj when extended, always intersect at a single point which point then orins the center about which the entire vehicle turns. in the case of a vehicle having steering Wheels only at the forward end in ice with the usual construction the the point ot intersection ol the arles V iront Wheels innst always fall subll;v upon the extended anis of the rear s, While in a foureivheel steer the locus i ooint ci intersection or the axes of all the wheels inust :tall substantially upon the vtransverse e through the middle of "the vehicle The various steering Wheels are general v connected together by nieans of sonic system of links, levers9 wheels, chains, gears, and the like., Whose angles are so chosen as to maintain the Wheels in the proper relative position during a consider- 'i angle of turning. lhere is, however, no system in common use whereby the angles remain even approximately correct through turning ang e o incre than about thirtyv de'i'iees. Certain mechanical erspedients involv no' variable gears and the like have, indeed been devise-d whereby the various angies will remain correct up to a rauch larger angle of detiectiontbut these devices have been or complicated, espensive, and unre liable nature sore to Work loose and i,give trouble Within a' very short time.

l1"urtherrnorej up to the present time substantially the Whole practical development or the art has been along the type of a ven hicle wherein the omver is applied to the tivo Wheels which are carried upon a rigid einea and the steeringn is etlected by means the front Wheels which are 'pivoted to the ends of the fore axle, the forward Wheels having no poner connection. TWith this type Bpeecaton ci Letters Patent.,

Renewed a'ay 13, 3.918. Serial No. ee.

of vehicle it is not particularly important that the range of possible deliection of the forward Wheels is restricted to a relatively narrow angle, owing to the fact that a delection of 450 is the absolute limiting angle even under theoretically perfect conditions, inasmuch as above this point the 'forward Wheels will inevitably skid or slip instead of running alongu their courses, and, under ordinary conditions of road surfaces, slipping and slridding Will begin to take place considerably in advance oi. this point. lil-oreover at these high deflections a very severe strain is thrown upon the carriage and upon the steering Wheels and the di'derential or compensating gear ordinarily employed is not particularly satisfactory in operation when the difference between the rate ol rotation ot the Wheels is so extremely great as in the dei'iection's mentioned; is a result of all these reasons no material investigation or improvement along,1 this line has taken place for a considerable time, since the rear drive vehicle was suilicient for inost purposes, and the maximum of 300 deection tor the steering; Wheels was not only the highest which could successfully be employed with this hind ol drive, but gave a suiiiciently short turning radius for -rpractical urposes. More recently, however the subject of a *wide angle steering linkage has received renewed emphasis by reason of the demand for self-propelled vehicles to be used in crowded and congested places` and which can be turned maneuvered in cramped and narron7 quarters, as in docks, railway station plat-forms, Ware-houses, and the holds of ships. 'Ll-his use practically necessitates a vehicle which can be turned within a space not materially greater than its own size, inasmuch as the manner ci handling freight has grown up about the use ol the ordinary tivo Wheeled stevedorels truclr, and a vehicle, to ind favor in the eyes ol users, must be such as can be adopted Without the necessity for any larfreaching reorganization of the @resent system. a

iliccordinglythe object ol" this invention is the provision olisuch a. combination ol steering and driving mechanism as Wilhpermit a vehicle equipged with the same 'to be inaneusered with greater flexibility than has ever heretofore been possible; the provision of a combined steering; and driving mechanisin in which the center and radius of turn- CAD iro. which it is desired 'to go7 emi ai be seme Lime io biting the links moi'e newly into eiiiiemem, iims sti'eighteniiig the ioggle' and iiioieeeing the ciisanee between the free ends of the wriieei aime -6, thus causing elle wheels to miie diei'eiit angles with iespeee eo loe exis of the vehicle es neceseiiiy to Cause them to iadiate i'lom a Coinmoii poin. inasmuch as the anguleriy oi elle Wheels with respect to eeoh othei dew gende upon elle sharpness of the tui-11 which is being made, being al", zero when iine Vehicle is going dii'eotly foiweid and being ai its fmum ai, the moment when lie shortest foie im-1i is being mede, and since the oi the Wheels xviii be iiieieesed iiiezeesing 'the distance between @the Wheel ei'ms 6-6 as is done by the sti-lightening of 'elle toggle, it is oleei' that jboth of these eeions mise place in. elle seme direction. e rei-e elif, which this toggle joint is 'yiiieiied depends purely upon aloe move- L howard the wie of the pivot poinie enf. partly upon the movement ey fiom 'ehe axle of the pivo point The eims S imei l siert from e; Condiio` oi' substantial peielleiism es iliusieted l and 3, and die dii'eetioii oi movethe 'poiii's 'T ll are therefore ai, '-iibsi-:mtielly poreliel to each other, 1aims deleoiion oi' iie wheels et die some wie? zie propel" from the feet lime the oe1ibei oi' *mining is en infinite distance away. fith the increase in lie angle of displacement of tiie steering erm i0, ehe rete of eieigliieiiing of the toggle joint becomes gieeiei owing io lie afivei of tile points Y and li et parte of theii' iespeoiive curves where the ieiebive transverse movement is iiioi'e rapid, thus giving the Wheels e come epoiiingly greatei diicfeienee in deflection :is iie oeiiiei' of curving is brought more and moine neel to the vehicle.

i@ imioossibie to deseiibe the length and ioeeiioii of' clifei'ent members otiief time siiiis'mntieilyit is possible to muy the. poeieion oi the simi?, 9 emi ilie lengii of the omis i() and 6 Within neii'ow limits Without serious leti'imene to iii-e opei'etioo. of the dei'iee., eitiiougii any Change in one member .oeeessiia-es e counteieoting change in some oiiiei membe' es will be Well ondei'stood ijx iioee' siiiileo iii bile are since iiie method successive approximations is the meiiioci oifdiiieiily employed for 'tile designing of seeing geef. it Wiil be oimcl, iioweve?, Wiiii the employment ofi the mechanism heieinbeioi'e described, that the deflecion o'l eooli of ehe wheels through en angle of 85C' oi moe Wiil oe permiteci with en eicor weil Within the limits oi" commeieiai oieieiioe.

Emilie? modiiiceiion which een be miope is eeoied by Changing' ''he angie b'eweeii iie Wlieel arms and the planes oi" iie Wiieele ee illusiieieei in Figs. emi this oase y si the angie beweeii eaoli Wheeieim anni. the piene oi the adjacent Wheel is made the seme as the angle between the plane of the Wheel and ehe iin-e drawn from iis spindlepivot 3 to the point of intersection between die line of Centers and iie longitudiiiel axis oi the vehicle4 tiie end of each afm is pivoed a iiiili 8a Whose length is equal to omelia'lc elle distance between adjacent. spindle pivots 3-8- The opposite emi of each pair of links is pivote@ to e sceeiing erm 10- Whose leiigii is substantially the Seme :is that of ehe Wheel aims a-f The siee ing aims 10a-l0a are eariiefl by rook simile Qa-Qa ae beioie9 mici may 1zoe opeceefl in the meneer: heretofore fleecribed or in other eoiiveiiieiie mode. The location of the shafts Saw@ is iiied absoiiitely ley the ieng'ii oi the arms 62 enel i011, inasmuch es 'joe lengh of iie links clepeiids upon en outside que@ my 'l/viiiiii offiinaiy oi feesoneble limis ehe ebsolue ieiigtli of elle e-ims 6 und i6 eo peine 'eo oe ie-iiei 'uiiimpofienc so long es die same me subst-ifncieliy eqn-ei. This i'aei is elealy Showi'i iii Fig. 5, wherein Athe ooiieoiness o'l2 the design is diagiemmeiieoiijv illusti'eied foi' iliiee ooiiiiiioiis, iiooielji those in Whioii ziie cellier oi turning ie at mmty, eat e. point neela io iie vehicle9 and et e point 12,/ in liiie Wiili two of ihe pivos 3-3- The :ingle iieeeeii the eims lia and 'the wheels can apparently lee sei; m5 any point between time shown in F l and time iii #L Similar piopoiiional changes being; made in 'the ieiigii and eifoiigemenf, of the parte 3, 9S end if,

@wing io the number and oompiexity oi the quaiiiiies involved it is eppaently impossible eo deduce e metliemeiicei formule covering all of the modifications which this linkage een take Wiiiio the scope of my in- 1veivtion oi even dei'iiiing the movemeiiis of he miious perfs of any one modiliCe-ioe thiougiiout the entire fange oi" its movement. However, by stai-Meg wieh iiie dii'ee- Lions liereiii contained, my person skilled in the art een produce e seei'ing gear which Wiii operaie Wiiiiin e vezy small clegiee oi eifoi1 ovei ew'ei-y angle oi' cleeciion fiom Zero Lo o, and with o smaii amount oi eXu peiimeni, and variation Wiiioii particular iesiziilaiiolos may iequire lie een seieofa :i design which Wiii eiioi'd e praotiealiy 1mi- :iorin eioi ei eil poins, and one which is Weil Within *he limits oi Commercial :ioiee ence. More peiieuleiijs off employing siieii ev steering geen with e ooiiibiiieci seeiing mii diivinggj wheei, as ,have here pi'opoeeei,

is 'possible io employ eine eiil'ii'e eepaiiiiiies q oi" {iie gem'7 thus femieiiiig the Yeiiole mole flexible, more easilyy ooniioiiell, enel iiooie eervioeebie foi* `use in eioweied end oongeseri pieces time any iiereofore known.

fiiiie i lie-ve iiecesezin.

described my. 

